TW: Swear words, obsessive behavior (mentions of baby trapping) internalized homophobia

Harley didn't end up visiting the general store again until about a month later. By then, Liam had received about two letters from Ella. One of which indicated her return for the holidays.

"Dude," Liam said, holding the letter in front of him. Harley immediately recognized Ella's neat handwriting. "Apparently she's taking a train back for the holidays. She'll be here in like a week."

Harley forced a smile on his face. "That's great news, Liam."

"Fuck bro, I've been waiting for this moment for ages." Liam swiped a hand through his hair, staring down at the letter in disbelief. "I'll finally get to see her again."

Harley knew it was wrong to feel so bitter about Ella returning. Ella wasn't just Liam's girlfriend, she was also Harley's childhood best friend. Well, Liam's too but they'd traveled way past that term years ago.

Ella always looked out for Harley, ever since they were young and visa versa. When Ella was thinking about leaving for botany school, Harley had been the one to give her actual sound advice. Not just beg her to stay for the hell of it. Ella had been there for Harley when he was deciding between monster hunting, which was a common profession for men living in The Badlands to enter, and doing something he actually liked, making jewelry. In the end, Harley didn't end up making jewelry

for a living like Ella encouraged him to,  instead he settled on blacksmithing and creating weapons for the town, just to save a little face. Looks like only one of them got to actually pursue their dream.

Yes, Harley knew Ella like the back of his hand.

He also knew if she found out about his feelings for Liam she'd leave him in a heartbeat.

And that wasn't fair.

Despite a deep, ugly, part of him hoping she would.

"That's great, Liam," Harley said, closing his eyes and resting his head on the back of the couch. "Maybe you'll get to hash out all your issues and come to a mutual agreement."

Harley could hear Liam fiddling with the letter, the crumpling of the paper in his hands.

"What if I put a baby in her?"

His eyes snapped open, alarmed. "What the fuck?"

Harley didn't usually swear, he prided himself in being calm and collected but sometimes Liam...well sometimes he could really say things that pushed Harley's buttons. "Why would you do something so stupid." He paused. "Is this about your little spiel about starting a family?"

Fuck, did Liam want Ella to stay in The Flats so bad he's try and get her pregnant? That was kind of insane.

Liam threw his hands in the air. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. There's no way I would do that, you know that Harls."

Harley stared at his best friend incredulously. "Alright, I think I need to get some fresh air." He stood up from the couch making his way to the door.

"Aw, come on Harley. I was just joking, I wouldn't do that to Ella, I love her too much." Liam called after him.

Harley rolled his eyes, slamming the door on the way out.

That's exactly why I don't think you're joking.

There weren't many places to go in The Flats. He could stop by the saloon to say hi to Lisa or he could ride out to the desert and start looking for some hidden mineral deposits.

Both options weren't appealing at the moment.

Nothing against Lisa of course, he just didn't feel sitting in a musty saloon filled with old men who brag about their golden days of monster hunting. It could be too much sometimes.

There were other places of course, but Harley didn't frequent them often. Like the training grounds, which were also frequented by the monster hunters, or the library, which Harley tended to avoid after an incident with Liam happened back in their teens.

"I told you not to shoot your pistol inside, Liam" Harley had hissed as they were booted out the door. "Now we're gonna have to pay for that hole in the wall."

He shook his head, a hint of a smile playing at his lips due to the fond memory.

Instead, Harley's feet led him to another place. A much newer spot in town.

The general store.

Harley pushed open the door quietly. Hoping to not set off the jingling bell at the top of the door. A quiet chime alerted him that he failed to do so.

"Welcome in!" Allen's cheerful voice called from behind the till. His back was to the door, not realizing who had walked in.

Harley browsed a few shelves. It looked like Allen was able to drum up some wares after all. Facial creams, various knick-knacks, and other items littered each row.

"Sorry about that," Allen said, his voice closer this time. "Had to put away a few things. Welcome into the sto—" He paused for a second, likely recognizing Harley's frame. "Oh, Hey Harley. Welcome in, I haven't seen you in a while."

He turned toward the shopkeeper who was staring at him with a broad smile.

"Hey," Harley said awkwardly. "I know. Thought I'd stop by and see what you have in stock now."

"Lots!" Allen said excitedly gesturing toward the full shelves. "Some of it local, some of it imported." He brushed his fingers along a few ceramic pots. "My sister made these, lovely isn't it?"

Harley nodded. They were.

"But," Allen's eyes trailed over to meet Harley's. "We have room for more if someone would like to start selling their jewelry here, hmm?"

A flush crept up the back of his neck. Allen's hazel eyes were fixed on his, a humorous twinkle shining within.

"Ah well," Allen nodded, intently waiting for Harley's answer. "I suppose I could see what I have made so far"

"Yes!" Allen whooped, gripping Harley by the shoulder with one hand. He had a strong grip. "I'm telling you, your jewelry will sell off the shelves like—" he snapped his fingers quickly. "This."

"I don't know about that..." Harley squirmed under Allen's tight grip, refusing to meet his eyes lest he start blushing.

"Oh please," Allen removed his hand. Harley had half a mind to reach for it. "If it's anything like the pendant you're wearing, it will sell out fast. Plus, a little lady came in and told me you crafted one she wears on her right wrist." Harley's head snapped up. "It was beautiful."

"Oh, um, yeah that's Lisa. I made it for her birthday and um," Harley stumbled over his words slightly, wanting to get across that yes, he made that necklace for her but no, they weren't dating or anything like that.  He wasn't sure why, Allen hadn't even asked. Said man gazed at him patiently, waiting for him to continue. "It was a birthday gift, just a birthday gift."

"Okay," Allen said, pleasantly. "Would you make me one for my birthday?"

Harley's face lit up light like a flame. "Oh um," he stuttered over his words, his brain short-circuiting for a second. "I mean—yeah, yeah I would."

Allen let out a warm laugh and playfully threw an arm around his shoulder. "I'm kidding, my birthday already passed. Plus having you stock your magnificent jewelry here is enough of a gift to me." He turned toward Harley and grinned. His face was only inches away.

Up close, Harley could see that Allen had a few freckles dusted across the bridge of his nose. They almost blended into his tan complexion, only someone who was looking closely would be able to notice.

Not that Harley was looking that close.

Not at all.

"Well," Allen said, releasing his shoulder with a squeeze. "What can I do for you? You obviously came in for a reason. His eyes flitted up to Harley's. "Unless you just wanted to keep me company?"

"No," Harley said quickly, wanting to save a little face. "I came in to buy something."

"Oh," Harley almost swore he saw disappointment flash across Allen's features. "Coming in for some more bullets for your friend?"

Harley's mind flashed to the full bag still sitting on the kitchen counter. He chuckled wistfully. "No, maybe something for myself this time."

Allen regarded him kindly. "How about you let me pick something out for you, I think I have just the thing."

Before he could respond, Allen dashed to the back of the store. Rummaging around in the boxes he'd brought out. "Aha," he grabbed an item out of the box, bringing it over to Harley. "Here."

Harley looked down at the small bag placed in his hands. Inside of it were...

"What are these?" He studied the items inside of the bag, it looked like some sort of bean. One he'd never seen before.

"Coffee beans!" Allen said, excitedly, "I just got them imported from The Cities." Harley raised an eyebrow, impressed. It was hard to get stuff imported from The Cities to The Badlands. "I thought you'd like these, you look like someone who would drink Coffee."

"How can you say that when I've never had coffee before?"

"Hmm, well if you don't drink coffee now you're going to start today." Allen held up another package of the beans. "Here let me make you some right now. Follow me."

As if commanded, Harley robotically followed Allen to the other room.

It wasn't a storage room like he initially thought. Instead, the door led into a small living area with an even smaller kitchen connected to it. He glanced around. There were a few more doors, which he assumed led to the bathroom and a bedroom.

So Allen's house was connected to the store, how convenient.

He watched as Allen moved around the kitchen swiftly, throwing some of the beans into some type of grinder, and dumping the freshly ground beans into a warm pot. "Have a seat," Allen said, gesturing to a couple of stools by a makeshift kitchen counter. "I'll have this ready for you in no time."

Harley complied, taking a seat and watching as Allen expertly handled the coffee-making process. The sunlight streaming through the window highlighted the dust particles in the air, creating a soft glow around the man.

Here we go," Allen announced, pouring the coffee into a rustic mug.

Allen padded over to him, placing a cup of freshly brewed coffee in his hands. He felt his fingers brush against the former's, and he desperately wanted to reach out and take hold, never letting go. Instead, he took a huge gulp of burning hot liquid.

"Careful," Allen chided gently. "I just brewed that. You'll burn your tongue." the brunette reached a hand towards his mouth, wiping away a few stray droplets of coffee. Harley watched as his eyes fixed on his mouth, before trailing up to look him in the eyes. He frowned.

"Are you okay, Harley?  You don't look so good."

Harley was not fine. He was anything but fine. His heart was beating rapidly, threatening to break through his chest, and a flush was beginning to creep up the back of his neck, something that seemed to happen often around Allen. Harley was not fine.

Harley was not fine, because Allen was well, he was fine.

Harley cleared his throat, trying to shake off the unexpected intensity of the moment. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just drank it too quickly, that's all."

Allen's expression softened with concern, and he pulled up a chair, sitting across from Harley. The small living area suddenly felt more intimate, like they were...

"Take it easy," Allen advised, a comforting smile playing on his lips. "No need to rush. We've got all the time in the world."

The words lingered in the air, and Harley found himself caught in the gaze of Allen's warm hazel eyes. "Thanks," Harley managed to mumble, avoiding direct eye contact. He took another, more cautious sip, appreciating the rich flavor without scalding his tongue this time.

Oh, how he wished he could chug this coffee and bolt out of the room.

"Tell me a few stories about The Flats," Allen said, interrupting the quaint silence. "I've heard quite a few from some of the locals, but nothing from you yet."

"Oh, um," Harley racked his brain. There weren't too many stories he could tell where he was the main character, but he had plenty about Liam. "I guess I have a few."

Allen leaned against the counter, sipping his own coffee as he listened to Harley's tales of Liam's monster-hunting and how he became one of the first in their town to start monster-hunting at such a young age.

"You seem to be pretty proud of your best friend," Allen said after Harley finished his story.

Harley reeled back, almost knocking his empty coffee mug over. "Oh, I just grew up with him and he's done a lot more for this town than I have."

"Hmm, I wouldn't say that." Allen said, gazing at him with a small smile. "You create weapons for the town, and you're about to sell your beautiful jewelry in the store. I'm sure you've done plenty more."

Harley hesitated. He never really thought about his accomplishments before. Only Liam's. Everyone around him praised Liam, never him. It was always about Liam.

It was different.

But it felt good.